This invention relates to dredges for removing silt, muck, and plant growth from the bottom of lakes, ponds, or similar bodies of water and, more particularly, relates to a self-propelled dredge mounted on a motorized barge, having a sealable bucket to enhance the dredge's ability to remove silt, peat, and other water-borne solids from the bottom of lakes, ponds, bays, and other bodies of water.
In the development of recreational waterfront property, particularly on small lakes, ponds, or bays, it is desirable to provide a clean gravel bottom adjacent the shoreline so that the shoreline property owner can utilize the water for swimming, boating, fishing, and other recreational uses. While most lakes have a gravel bottom, the gravel is many times covered by layers of peat or silt or other soft materials that are undesirable from a recreational standpoint. A gravel bottom provides a much better breeding ground for fish, since many of the game fish spawn in gravelly river and lake bottoms. Also, a gravel bottom tends to be less prone to growth of aquatic weeds, such as water lilies and milfoil, thereby making the area adjacent the shore more desirable for swimming and boating.
Even after an area is developed, and after the developer cleans up the lake bottom, after several years the bottom tends to again be covered by silt and muck and plant growth that must periodically be removed. At this point, however, there is many times a dock or a float positioned adjacent the shore for use in swimming and boating that provides some maneuverability problems for large dredges of the type currently in use. Also, the cost of operating a large dredge is usually prohibitive for individual property owners or even for small waterfront communities.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a dredge that is self-propelled and highly maneuverable, primarily for use in small areas and around existing structures, such as docks, swimming floats, et cetera.
It is another object of the invention to provide a dredge that efficiently removes water-borne solids, such as peat and silt that are of a density nearly equal to that of the water in which they are carried.